Koivu set to make Ducks debut

Saku Koivu will make his unofficial Ducks debut tonight against Vancouver at Honda Center.

"Hopefully it's going to be fun," Koivu said at the morning skate. "I'm a little bit nervous. It's been a long, long time since I've been in a situation like this and I'm looking forward to tonight's game."

Koivu said one difference with his new team is how much more aggressive the forecheck.

"I'm finding that I really have to adjust to a different style and find my spot," he said. "You can only learn that by the practice time and the games."

Many have been champing at the bit to see Koivu paired with fellow Finn Teemu Selanne, who will also play tonight. Coach Randy Carlyle joked about the contingency of Finnish media asking him about it everyday.

Carlyle was coy about tonight but said he will pair the two at some point in the preseason. Speaking generally about that combination this season, he pointed out that,

"What happens if doesn't work? We're going to be cautious with that. Obviously we know there's a history there. I think it becomes more of a natural for us to go in that direction, but there's a third player that has to play on that line, too. You have to have three players that are going to mesh together.

Would it be a shame if Bobby Ryan had to play with Selanne and Koivu? I don't think so. Or Joffrey Lupul ... On paper, everything looks rosy, but until you live it and the players prove to you that they can mesh together, then it's trial-and-error."

Regarding goaltenders, Carlyle revealed that his plan is to have two goalies split duty the first four preseason games, mainly because the Ducks are in the middle of a stretch of four games in four nights.

That means that Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Justin Pogge will each play about 30 minutes tonight.

Vancouver does not have the Sedin brothers in its lineup tonight but Ryan Kesler and free agent pickup Mikael Samuelsson are expected to play. Former Duck Mathieu Schneider is not in Vancouver's lineup.

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